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Valmont, Colorado

Coordinates: 40°02′03″N 105°12′23″W / 40.03417°N 105.20639°W / 40.03417; -105.20639 (Valmont CDP, Colorado)
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Valmont, Colorado
Census Designated Place
Valmont School, built in 1911 (2010 photo)
Valmont School, built in 1911 (2010 photo)
Location of the Valmont CDP in Boulder County, Colorado
Location of the Valmont CDP in Boulder County, Colorado
Valmont is located in the United States
Valmont
Valmont
Location of the Valmont CDP in the United States
Coordinates: 40°02′03″N 105°12′23″W / 40.03417°N 105.20639°W / 40.03417; -105.20639 (Valmont CDP, Colorado)[1]
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyBoulder County
Platted1865
Government
[1]
 • Typeunincorporated community
Area
[2]
 • Total0.912 km2 (0.352 sq mi)
 • Land0.698 km2 (0.269 sq mi)
 • Water0.214 km2 (0.083 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
1,573 m (5,161 ft)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total64
 • Density70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code[4]
Boulder 80301
Area codes303 & 720
GNIS feature ID2583311[1]

Valmont is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Valmont CDP was 64 at the United States Census 2020.[3] The land use consists of farming, low-density residential, some commercial, and a few school and church properties. The Boulder post office (Zip Code 80301) serves the area.[4]

History

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Valmont was platted in 1865, and named for the valleys and peaks near the town site.[5] A post office called Valmont was established in 1865, and remained in operation until 1901.[6]

At 63rd St. and Andrus Rd. are the former Boulder County Poor Farm historic landmark and what is believed to be the former site of Fort Chambers, built in 1864 to shelter white settlers from potential native attacks.[7][8][9] Some Company D soldiers who trained at Chambers were part of the infamous Nov. 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, as well as other atrocities.[10] In 2018, the City of Boulder acquired the combined Poor Farm / Fort Chambers property.[8] A 1950s marker commemorated Fort Chambers as being "used during the Indian uprising"; the controversial marker was removed in May 2023. The city has been working with the local tribes to develop the 113-acre site with the theme "Heal the Land; Heal the People".[11]

The current two-room Valmont School on N. 61st Street, replaced the original 1869 building in 1911. The school closed in 1951, has been vacant since the 1980s and was purchased in 2021 by local business owners. With significant bell tower and roof damage and subsequent interior water damage, it remains one of the last few original Valmont structures. One notable feature is the use of ornamental concrete block architecture. Local preservationists hope the damaged building can be restored[12] but it is a costly project and requires approval for some types of work, as well as craftsmen versed in the period techniques. In early 2024, the school was added to the Colorado Preservation group's list of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.[13][14]

The Valmont train depot is an abandoned station stop for the Union Pacific Railroad's Boulder Branch from Denver to Boulder, Colorado. It was originally built in 1890 to serve as a depot for the railroad's service on the Boulder Branch at milepost 24.[15] Train numbers 515 and 516, the designated train numbers for the branch line, usually served this branch with the use of self-propelled railcars until the passenger service was discontinued in the 1960s.[16]

For some years, the Boulder Valley Railway Historical Society had a low-key Valmont Railroad Museum, consisting of several historic locomotives and railcars, on leased unused rails by Valmont Rd. and Indian Rd.[17] The operation was disbanded around 2015.[18]

Geography

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Valmont is located in southeastern Boulder County, east of the city of Boulder, between Boulder Creek to the north and 200-foot-tall (60 m) Valmont Butte to the south. Valmont Road runs through the center of the community.

The Valmont CDP has an area of 225 acres (0.912 km2), including 53 acres (0.214 km2) of water.[2]

Demographics

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The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Valmont CDP for the United States Census 2010.

Valmont CDP, Colorado
YearPop.±%
201059—    
202064+8.5%
Source: United States Census Bureau

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Valmont, Colorado
  2. ^ a b "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Valmont CDP, Colorado". Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Zip Code 80301 Map and Profile". zipdatamaps.com. 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 50.
  6. ^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "BOULDER'S FOURTH OF JULY BARBECUE 160 YEARS AGO … AT FORT CHAMBERS". Museum of Boulder.
  8. ^ a b "Fort Chambers / Poor Farm Management Plan | City of Boulder". bouldercolorado.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  9. ^ History of Boulder County, retrieved February 11, 2024
  10. ^ "Fort Chambers and the Sand Creek Massacre | City of Boulder". bouldercolorado.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Fort Chambers / Poor Farm Management Plan | City of Boulder". bouldercolorado.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Valmont School". Historic Boulder. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Historic Valmont School in Boulder County added to state list of most endangered places". Boulder Daily Camera. February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  14. ^ McKee, Spencer (February 7, 2024). "List of 5 'most endangered' historical spots in Colorado released". OutThere Colorado. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Brighton to St. Vrains, CO - Abandoned Rails". www.abandonedrails.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "Union Pacific Railroad" (PDF). September 16, 1937.
  17. ^ "Valmont Railroad Museum - Colorado Magazine Online". www.coloradomagazineonline.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024. Boulder County Railway Historical Society (BCRHS), the museum site is located next to Valmont Butte, at Valmont and Indian Roads... society was formed in 1997... museum site was established when BCRHS leased a small section of track and the adjoining land from the Union Pacific Railroad... track is part of the original Denver & Boulder Valley main line... constructed in the early 1870's... remains of the original Valmont Stage Stop, built by Tommy Jones in 1860... served as a boarding house. It stands in a park area adjacent to the Railroad Museum.
  18. ^ "Boulder Valley Railway Historical Society". www.rypn.org. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
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